Question

Throughout this speech, Dr. King chooses to reference famous American works, speeches, and songs, as well as the bible.
Why do you think he chooses to do this? Write a short paragraph explaining your reasoning.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

… And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last

Answer 1

Dr. King cites well-known American songs, speeches and the Bible to root the civil-rights struggle in the shared language and values of the nation, making his demands harder to dismiss as a fringe complaint. By invoking familiar patriotic and religious texts he appeals to his listeners’ sense of justice and identity—reminding them that freedom and equality are not exotic ideals but promised American and Christian principles. Those references also lend moral authority and emotional power to his message, unite diverse audiences across race and faith, and reframe national myths (for example, “My country ’tis of thee”) so that civil rights become the fulfillment, not the violation, of America’s highest commitments.